New Balance Announces Three New NIL Basketball Signings

The youth basketball game has changed. Elite players are no longer traveling the country on shoe company tournament circuits for player-exclusive sneakers alone. Nope, these days there’s real money behind high school basketball players, and by the time they hit the college level, top prospects are already plenty professionalized. As New Balance continues to push its athlete sponsorship program further, the Boston brand welcomed three new young hoopers to the NB family this week.

Announced in individual Instagram posts alongside the athletes, New Balance announced partnerships with incoming UCLA freshman Sienna Betts, class of 2027 high school star Haylen Ayers, and No. 2-ranked boys 2026 high school standout Jordan Smith Jr. With bright futures ahead of all of them, New Balance is getting in on the ground floor with the next generation of basketball stars on the rise.

“I have been so excited for the announcement,” Betts told Andscape in her first interview as a New Balance athlete. “It was supposed to happen this week, and I texted my agent like, ‘What’s going on?’ Because I am so ready and excited to finally make it official and share with everyone. I’m just so honored to be a New Balance athlete.”

The specifics of the three New Balance NIL deals haven’t been announced, but with top stars like Kawhi Leonard and Shohei Ohtani on the team, the new signings are yet another sign that New Balance is dedicated to competing at the highest levels for signature athletes.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com